Innovating in mails

Collections and returns is a huge growth area for parcel operators. Customers return more than 90 million items to online retailers every year and by 2025 that’s expected to grow to 250 million returns a year.

The latest Delivery Matters report by Royal Mail shows Post Office remains the most preferred place to return items but whilst older shoppers prefer Post Office, the younger customers have a wider range of providers – therefore Labels to Go helps to make us more relevant to this generation.

Finding new ways to improve customer experience is key. And we’re delighted to announce that our Labels to Go service which launched in branches in November 2018, has been shortlisted for an award.

Labels to Go simplifies the return of online purchases. It has been really popular with our customers with over 2.5 million transactions in the first six months since we launched the service. Customers provide a retailer generated QR code at the branch and then everything else is done for them.

Post Office has been shortlisted as one of the finalists at the eCommerce Awards for Excellence. We’ve been nominated in the category for Best Innovation in eCommerce Delivery/Logistics. We are shortlisted against operators including Avasam with DropShipping, Drinkly, fulfilmentcrowd, Hermes and ZigZag Global.

Now in their eleventh year, the eCommerce Awards highlight the best online retailers, online companies, agencies, innovations, products and campaigns that the ecommerce industry offers each year.

Mark Siviter Managing Director for Mails and Retail at Post Office explains, the returns process is a cornerstone of the online shopping experience: “Consumers, retailers and distribution companies alike share the common goal of wanting a process that is hassle free, readily available and intuitive.

“We challenged ourselves to develop and roll out a simplified returns solution across the entire network reducing consumer effort, increasing their choice of location and having a positive effect on the environment. It’s great that this has been recognised by the e-commerce awards and shows that Post Office is seen as an innovative company.

“Protecting, retaining and growing footfall associated with returns has the dual benefit of increasing sales of other items within the branch and attracting a new demographic to Post Office services which is great news for our branches.”